PlayStation 4 Review

Here it is! The next generation of gaming is finally here. This is the generation where the systems have to compete against PCs and even handheld devices, the processor and operating system is more important than ever. PlayStation 4 delivers a machine stronger than its predecessor, but an interface still familiar for players.

PS4 features a console with black and sleek design that’s smaller than the most recent PS3. You can only how slim the future slim models will be. The console is leaned one-sided, and quite frankly, I’m not a fan at first. However, after seeing the console first hand, I fall in love with it right away. The LED strip on the system is beautiful, and it easily tells you the status of the system. Orange for standby, blue for powering up, and white while in use. There are two buttons at the front for power up and disc eject, and I found the placements awkward. For some strange reason, I didn’t feel like the space between the two buttons is where the disc should go, and I had spend some time looking for it. Other than that, the console has some great design with many vents for cooling down.

The game’s interface is great and straight to the point without clutters. The What’s New section is a great place to see everything you and you’re friends have been doing on PlayStation. It’s a faster way to bring you and your friends together, and it looks especially great with the new Trophy rarity metric. It makes getting Trophy more value, and encourages competition between friends. It really makes playing game more of a social activity than before.

Mentioning social activity, the message system has greatly improved and you can now send messages across PS3, PS Vita and even mobile. You can even send 15 seconds voice messages with each others.

The DualShock 4 is the best controller ever! It’s even better than Xbox 360 in both design and functionality. The controller is bigger and ergonomic, and it feels really good pressing the buttons with great clicking sounds. The touchpad on the controller is the biggest gimmick for the new controller, and it feels great playing around with it. I don’t have much games that feature the touchpad yet, but I’m definitely looking forward to try it out more.

The lightbar on the controller is an important aspect of the new generation console. It’s essentially the PS Move controller from PS3, and it’s used to help PlayStation Camera to locate the player. The thing is, PlayStation 4 doesn’t come with a camera with the system, and you have to purchase it separately. That means, I haven’t got a camera yet and I haven’t the chance to fuller explore the function yet. Regardless, I do find the ligtbar kind of annoying though. Especially when the screen goes black during loading or something, and you can see the light reflects on the TV.

The coolest part of the controller is the Share button. It gives you the option to quickly share either an image of your game or gameplay footage on Facebook, Twitter and other social network. One function I’m looking forward to is the ability to stream gameplay videos. Once a really good game is released on PS4, be sure to check back here on The Good Kind of Geek for our first gameplay videos (cough* The Order: 1886* cough) .

Remote Play is great on PS4 if you have great Wi-Fi connection. You can pair your PS Vita with your PS4, and then you can wake your system up when your within the Wi-Fi range. Even though the Vita is missing the trigger and thumbsticks on DualShock 4, it doesn’t really effect the gameplay at all. It’s also great when you wanna play your PS4 games lazily on the bed or something, or if your family need the big screen TV for something else. Of course, it all depends if you have good Wi-Fi connection or not. Wii U has the GamePad, PS4 has PS Vita. Your move, Xbox One.

My only problem with the new system is the lack of launch games. I know many people claimed that Killzone or Contrast are very good games, but I don’t think they’re good enough for me to play PlayStation 4 all day. Overall, the system is a great one with stunning OS packed in a well-crafted small hardware, and a wonderful controller. This might just be the best PlayStation system yet.